The Heart - Part 2 (Affection) - Derrick Harrison - 18th Jan 2026

The heart is pictured as an orange with seven distinct but connected sections: affections, desires, emotions, the mind, imagination, conscience, and will — with the will placed last as the key that God aims to move. Each section can be awakened and renewed by the Holy Spirit so that the whole person becomes able to love, think, imagine, judge, and choose in line with God’s life. God himself is described as having a heart: he loves, feels compassion, imagines creation, and exercises a will that reaches toward people in saving action. This divine heart shows up in Scripture as tender affection for Israel, the sacrificial giving of the Son, and the calling of sinners into new life.

The affections of God are emphasized repeatedly: God loved Israel as a child, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, and God’s love is the defining reality — God is love. That love pours out compassion over all creation and draws people with lovingkindness so that their desires and emotions are awakened toward him. Jesus embodies the Father’s affection: affirmed at his baptism as “my beloved son,” sustained by intimate love for the Father, and shown in his final acts of service and sacrifice when he “loved them to the end.”

Concrete stories illustrate how divine affection meets humanity: the rich young ruler was loved and challenged; the repentant woman was welcomed and praised for loving much; Peter was restored from denial through a staged recommissioning that probes the difference between human affection and the agape love Jesus calls for. The work of the Spirit is decisive — at Pentecost and through inner renewal — pouring God’s love into hearts, purifying desires, and enabling obedience. The result is regeneration: the image of God restored so believers dwell in communion with Christ, living by the faith of the Son who loved and gave himself.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The heart has seven sections God’s design for the human heart is multi-dimensional: affections, desires, emotions, mind, imagination, conscience, and will. The Spirit may awaken each area, bringing them into harmony so that love informs thinking, imagination reenvisions reality, conscience guides, and the will chooses obedience. Renewing work must touch every section for true transformation. [01:25]
• 2. God's affections are deeply personal Scripture portrays divine love as relational and tender — God calls Israel a child, declares Jesus his beloved, and sends the Son for humanity’s life. This personal affection is not vague sentiment but sacrificial, drawing and sustaining people through lovingkindness that awakens desire and commitment. It becomes the soil where response and faith grow. [08:06]
• 3. Christ loves the church as bride The love of Christ for the church is both covenantal and practical: he “gave himself” for her and shapes her in holiness. That love orders ecclesial life toward mutual care, costly service, and unity rooted in sacrificial giving rather than mere institutional maintenance. The church’s identity is formed as the beloved community of the Son. [23:34]
• 4. Agape surpasses mere human love Jesus’ exchange with Peter highlights a gulf between human affection (philia) and God’s agape: human love can fail under pressure, but agape is poured into hearts by the Spirit. Regeneration enables believers to love with the divine pattern — costly, persevering, and self-giving — which reorients choices and mission. True restoration requires this Spirit-wrought love. [29:01]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:24] - Opening remarks
• [00:54] - Orange illustration
• [01:25] - Seven sections of the heart
• [07:05] - Focusing on affections
• [07:25] - God's declarations of love
• [11:20] - Compassion and lovingkindness
• [15:09] - The Father's affirmation of the Son
• [17:34] - Jesus' intimacy and obedience
• [19:17] - Loving the disciples to the end
• [23:34] - Christ's love for the church
• [24:16] - Love for lost souls (examples)
• [29:01] - Agape vs philia: Peter restored
• [34:45] - Spirit pours out God's love
• [36:09] - Closing prayer

Bible reading

1 John 4:7–11
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

John 21:15–17
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Romans 5:5
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Observation questions

1. What are the seven distinct sections of the heart illustrated by the sections of an orange? [01:25]
2. In the exchange between Jesus and Peter by the lake, what are the two different Greek words used for "love," and which one does Jesus use in his first two questions? [29:01]
3. According to Romans 5:5, where is the love of God poured out and who is responsible for doing this? [34:45]
4. When Jesus looked at the rich young ruler, what was his immediate internal response toward the young man before he gave him the command to sell his possessions? [24:16]

Interpretation questions

1. The heart is described as a whole, yet the "will" is placed as the final section and called the "key" to the heart [01:57]. Why is it significant that the Holy Spirit moves through our affections, mind, and conscience before bringing us to a place of willing obedience? [04:37]
2. Jesus’ conversation with Peter highlights a gap between human affection (*philia*) and divine love (*agape*) [29:01]. Why is human love, on its own, often insufficient to keep someone faithful during a "crucible" or a time of intense temptation? [32:09]
3. The woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears is noted as a rare example of someone exercising *agape* love [27:10]. What does her story suggest about the relationship between being forgiven and the awakening of deep, sacrificial affection for Christ? [27:44]
4. God is described as having an "imagination" because the world is the tangible outcome of his beauty and power [06:13]. How does the fact that we are made in the "image of God" help us understand why our own imaginations are a vital part of our spiritual life? [04:54]

Application questions

1. We are told that God’s love is not just a vague sentiment but is deeply personal—He loves the world, but He also loves *you* specifically [23:11]. Do you find it easy to say, "I am the beloved disciple of Jesus," or do you struggle to believe you are that special to Him? [08:57]
2. The Holy Spirit works to awaken our desires for God so that we love Him with passion and emotion [02:13]. Have you ever felt the "drawings" of God’s heart in your life that felt almost irresistible? [13:51]
3. The conscience acts like a barometer that can either warn us of sin or affirm us when we do good [03:37]. Can you share a recent time when you felt the Holy Spirit speak "affirmation and confirmation" to your heart after you chose to do what was right? [04:22]
4. Jesus "loved them to the end," meaning his love remained paramount even in his own pain and suffering on the cross [19:40]. How does knowing that Christ’s love never fails give you strength when you are facing your own seasons of suffering? [20:51]
5. Regeneration is described as a total renewal of our affections, mind, imagination, and will [35:43]. If you look at the "sections" of your own heart today, which area feels like it needs the most touch from the Holy Spirit to be brought back into line with God’s life? [01:25]
6. Christ’s love for the church is sacrificial—He "gave himself for her" [23:58]. In what practical ways can we move beyond "institutional maintenance" and instead show this kind of costly, self-giving love to one another in our small group? [24:05]